Rabbi Jill’s Latest Blog Posts
Lay Your Burdens Down For One Day
We are in this time that may seem like one long break. We are not carrying the same, everyday concerns of our previous, before-pandemic lives, but most of us have certainly claimed new worries and anxieties: Grief from the tens of thousands of losses, heart-breaking stories of frontline health workers and other essential people risking …
The Journey You Did Not Choose
What a journey you and I are on right now. Together. We have had trips canceled, weddings postponed, jobs lost. We have had holidays and funerals over Zoom. We walk outside with masks. Not only have we removed events from our calendars, but we have also had to “shed” the skin we have had until …
Simple Breath Meditation
This is a simple breath meditation. It’s 10 minutes long. It is very helpful in stressful times to just do the basics – remember to breathe, sit quietly, walk, listen to a beautiful piece of music. Several times a day as I feel the anxiety arising (we are in California #StayAtHome) I stop what I’m …
#AskTheRabbi COVID-19
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about how to navigate this time we are in of such great uncertainty. Some people are experiencing extreme or mild anxiety. Others feel bored, and others have suddenly so many online opportunities to learn and connect that they are having a hard time choosing. Other people feel beset …
Music For This Moment – COVID-19 Playlist
Music is one of the things that so heals the soul – a universal language that touches us in places that words alone cannot. I have always loved different kinds of music and so as I sat listening to the evening news, disheartened and feeling a bit of panic – I started thinking about what …
Creative Quarantine
What an opportunity! Most of us are either in forced or elective quarantine. What if we used this time to learn, create and be inspired? Could there be a blessing inside this moment? Think of it like an extended Sabbath/Shabbat. Some suggestions about how to make the most of this time – and let’s share …
Two Spiritual Approaches to COVID-19
Whoever you are, wherever you are, you are affected by the current pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus. I want to offer a few spiritual approaches and insights that I hope are helpful or comforting, no matter your spiritual tradition. Whether you are worried about your elderly parents or your chronically ill child. Some of you live …
How To Respond When Everything Falls Apart
When everything falls apart, you learn what you are made of by how you respond. Yes, first you mourn and cry out in pain and despair. And then, when you find that you have endured, perhaps the worst you could have imagined, you have choices to make. How do you hold what has happened and …
